-Miss M's reactions were gold.
And serve to illustrate the gulf between even mortal heroes and Exalted in their area of specialty.
-Nice depiction of a frazzled teenageer who is subjectively barely a couple days from when she got kidnapped and tortured.
A little surprised they haven't brought in Gloria yet(official next of kin as I understand it) but I guess she is being kept up to date off-screen.
-Kudos on remembering that the PRT have to employ more than one mental health specialist.
And the oblique reference to the fact that there is an entire group of them dedicated to the Philly Wards post-Nine is a neat touch.
The last time you'd been in New York, you and Sakura hadn't been given much of an opportunity to fully tour PRT Tower - both because your road trip to Philadelphia meant that time was limited, and because the two of you (and Aisha, for that matter) hadn't been fully inducted into the Wards program yet.
That actually makes sense.
The two of you didn't make a fuss about the lost opportunity, mainly because… it all felt kind of fuzzy.
A reminder that of all the Wards and Alchemicals in our in-group, the Kurosawa Twins have had the most disruption to their lives.
And that's including Taylor.
Poor girl needs a hug.
Serious, calm, reserved. You and Sakura had even dressed up as her for Halloween three years ago. Well, you had gotten fewer comments on your Armsmaster/MissMilitia fic than Sakura had gotten for her Armsmaster/Dauntless slash, so you were the 'secret villain clone' - her scarf meant that you couldn't wear an Evil Goatee, so you wore a Chinese flag instead of an American one.
"Everything… seems to at least match your previous records, Ms. Kurosawa," the PRT officer hums to himself across the silver table, idly sweeping a hand through his thinning, grey hair and fixing his glasses. "I'm still not entirely comfortable with the degree of core impulse modification that you've demonstrated, however, nor at the inexplicable skill and language acquisition."
I rather like this guy.
Reminds me of a stern old grandfather with a heart of gold, deep underneath the abrasive crust.
Beside him, Miss Militia nods, though she hasn't looked away from you for the whole two-hour interrogation.
Appearance 7 at work.
I wonder if she even noticed.
"Ms. Kurosawa, none of this-" he motions to the papers in front of him with a hand, "is your fault, neither is your new… existence. I have some choice words for Weaver, of course, which are going in my report… but I don't see any further good coming from keeping you under Master/Stranger Protocol Containment."
Granpa!Psychiatrist doesn't seem to like Taylor very much
Or is just irritated at a(to him) unqualified civilian making major life-changing decisions for other people.
Can't blame him; most civies would fuck it up, and he has no way of knowing Taylor isn't most civies.
Beyond that, there will still be at least one Protectorate member assigned to you at all times for the next week - both for your own security and… well, for further passive observation."
"Oh," you blink, thinking back. "Like Weaver had before?"
Anyone remember when Weaver had a Protectorate member assigned?
The elder doctor frown disapprovingly as he glances down at the papers on the table, but shakes his head. "No, that was a... unique situation, and I'll be honest: I was the one who pushed for this, independent of the usual Master/Stranger Protocols."
Reassuring to see levels of competence from their mental health services.
Someone took note of what happened when Taylor got a PTSD flash in New York.
It's always nice to work with professionals, and to remember that the PRT have at least a decade of institutional experience at this.
"A-alright," you eventually manage, after thinking about armored bodices long enough to stop leaking all over Miss Militia's camo. Turning your gaze up to her, you realize this is a perfect opportunity: Begging Jutsu, activate! Form of Puppy Eyes! "Can you be my first?"
Saki.
Miss Militia's dark brown eyes widen slightly, enough that you're pretty sure you just shocked her into speechlessness. Critical hit?
Wat r u doin.
Oh, uh... wait... you may have phrased that wrong.
Saki
Stahp.
She blinks, finally, and you can practically see her eyes focus again, resolving into a frown as she tries to figure out- ah, ok, now she's blushing.
rofl:
Hannah is going to need a drink. Several, probably.
This is what happens when your life becomes a Japanese anime.
Admittedly, Worm does read sometimes like it was plotted by Hideaki Anno, but even Evangelion got slice of life.
"I…" she coughs, turning her gaze to Dr. Marchbanks… who is giving you a very disapproving glare, "... was scheduled to return to Philadelphia, but… I can… ask?"
Killjoy.
But yeah, that's what happens when a mortal non-specialist runs face first into an Exalted adept in her area of specialty.
Saki was hitting Miss Militia with -3 MDV Appearance penalty, and at the same time rolling a dice pool of Cha 7 + Presence 4 + Body Language specialty 3 + Stunt 2.
That's the equivalent of 22 dice.
In comparison, if you gave Miss Militia the stats of a Mortal Hero from Exalted 2E Core, she would have had Cha/Man 3, Presence 2, App2, Willpower 8, Integrity 3. Her Parry MDV would have been (Cha/Man 3 + Presence 2 + Specialty 0)/2, rounded down, = PMDV 2.
Her Dodge MDV would have been (Willpower 8 + Integrity 3 + Specialty 0 + Essence 0)/2, rounded down, = DMDV 5.
The technical term for what happened there is
aplanadora.
"If it helps you understand," he tries again, shooting a concerned glance to the worried-looking Miss Militia, "I have been informed that your mere appearance rates a Master 3 rating... and I think that might even need raising."
Heh.
Be thankful that she doesn't have a 1st or 2nd CHA/MAN Aug, or a 3rd App Aug.
It's going to be really awkward when Missy and Aisha both turn up with
Husk-Sculpting Apparatus isn't it?
Since HSA does allow you to increase your Appearance, you could have both of them as well as Saki walking around with App 7.
I can smell the frying brain cells from here.
You nod, turning up the Hopeful Eyes again, causing her to look away quickly with a troubled expression.
"Could you… go back to your old appearance, Saki?"
Looking forward to them finding out that looking relatively normal doesn't really change her persuasiveness very much.
She's still throwing Cha/Man 7 + Presence 4 + Body Language 3 + Stunt 2 at people running on oWoD physics.
"I know it might be alarming, Ms. Kurosawa," he says evenly, slowly, "but you need to understand: it is extremely difficult to focus on anything but whatever you are doing or saying. My first instinct is to believe and agree with whatever you say. I've had to constantly remind myself that I am happily married… to my husband."
Heartbreaker is going to pay her a visit, isn't he?
I mean, once she does a TV interview, that's going to be it.
Even closer to home, we might have issues with our very own repressed lesbian yandere.
And then there's Erasmus, the sexual predator disguised as a senior Protectorate agent.
A few seconds pass, and you're the old you.
You'd never really liked the old you, but maybe it's better this way: at least Sakura will recognize you when she gets back.
Downer ending
Poor girl needs hugs.
Dear heart, if Taylor could recognize you post-change, so can your sister.
There was a reason why we voted at the beginning of the Quest to have Taylor celebrate the change to App 5 supermodel rather than dwell on the past; it's a healthier headspace for a teenager to be in, let alone a parahuman.
